


Road to Love

by Caffinated_Story



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: APH Rare Pair Exchange, APH rare pair secret santa, Aphsecretsanta, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 07:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffinated_Story/pseuds/Caffinated_Story
Summary: Sweden had never been the one for long speeches or many words.It wasn't that he lacked the ability, but it didn't fall natural to him to talk and talk. Such taska is best left to other people who enjoyed it far more than him.However, you don't live for several centuries without learning a thing or two about the people closest to you.





	Road to Love

**Author's Note:**

> My (belated) Aph rare-pair secret santa gift for ryuokowolf!

Sweden had never been the one for long speeches or many words.   
It wasn't that he lacked the ability, but it didn't fall natural to him to talk and talk and talk and talk. Such a task was best left to other people who enjoyed it far more than him.

He preferred gestures over words to convey his feelings; even if those too sometimes fell flat.

However, you don't live for several centuries without learning a thing or two about the people closest to you.

The first time Sweden had met Norway had been purely by chance, or so he had thought.

Something had been following him for quite some time, but Sweden hadn't been able to catch it.  
Not until he sat by a small river all by himself in the forest.

A twig had snapped, and Sweden had looked up and right at Norway; a mere child with wild hair and even wilder eyes.

He had been speechless as Norway approached him ever so slowly.

“Hello,” the other boy had said and Sweden had to step closer to ensure he wasn't just dreaming.  
Norway's voice had been soft and quiet, a mere whisper compared to the rusting of leaves around them.

Sweden had stared, uncertain what to make of this person who gave off an energy he couldn't place, but who felt familiar.

“Hello?” Sweden had hesitantly replied, voice raspy from disuse. He'd been alone for a while, no longer used to speaking much.

“You're like me,”

“Like... you?” Sweden had studied the other blond boy, and slowly he realised why it felt like they'd met before – this wasn't a human.

“Yeah, like me,” Norway had smiled shyly and offered a handful of berries to Sweden as a sort of peace offering.

Sweden had regarded Norway with a little suspicion at first, but it was hard to stay on guard when Norway so easily made him feel home.

Years later Sweden almost completely forgot he'd ever found Norway suspicious. The barefooted little nation, wide eyed and a little dirty; the memory was like a long forgotten dream as they tore through other nations' homes like a bad storm.

Sweden's sword slammed hard against a wooden shield, splintering large parts of it and forcing his opponent down to his knees.  
Behind him Norway spun around with a frightful speed and thrust his spear into the exposed neck of another man; sending the poor human straight to Valhalla.

“Got your back,” Norway had laughed and wiped some of the splattered blood off his face with the back of his hand.

“Thanks,” Sweden replied as he kicked the broken shield and the screaming man hard enough to topple him over. 

“Not worried are you?” Norway had asked as he thrust his spear into the ground and pulled up his bow and an arrow.

“About what?” Sweden muttered in reply as he watched the man try to crawl away from them.

“This fight,” Norway hummed as he took an expert aim and sendt an arrow right into the chest of a man further down the hill.

“Not with you here,” Sweden had smiled earnestly despite the carnage around them, before standing up straight and reading his sword once more.

The trust between them had been unshakable. There was no one else who Sweden would so readily expose his back to as Norway. No one he trusted more to help him.  
No one else could fill such a role.

However, not all good things could last forever. Thinking so had been naive.

There had been a time when Norway would be near impossible to get out of bed; and his attitude towards Sweden was nothing short of aggravating.   
Understandable; in hindsight of course, but that was usually the case with most things in their lives.

Norway could hold a grudge for eternity if he so wanted, and he'd find a way to fuel the grudge onward too if he felt the need.   
Sweden had been on the receiving end of Norway's frigid cold front for years, and he didn't particularly enjoy it.  
After all; Norway knew how to chill a room with just a look.

It had taken Sweden years to melt the walls Norway had set up around himself. Walls Sweden felt was partly his fault.

Little by little he'd tried to make things better; at least between them as people. 

Despite what others might think, Norway wasn't hard to read or understand when you knew him as well as Sweden did. He could spot with ease when Norway felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave, and he picked up on the little signs and the near invisible smiles he'd give when he was enjoying himself, but too proud to admit it or show it outright.

These days Norway was almost a little to hard to keep in bed. He would wake up at the crack of dawn, and Sweden would cling to him with all his might on cold winter days to keep him just a little bit longer under the covers so he didn't have to freeze so much.

“Just one more minute,” Sweden mumbled into the back of Norway's neck, trying to hold Norway even closer to himself. “Coffee can wait...”

“Oh, those words are grounds for divorce,” Norway scoffed.

“We're not married any more,” Sweden mumbled in return.

“Well, if we were, I'd divorce you again,” Norway huffed in reply and once again tried to weasel his way out of Sweden's grasp – to no avail.

“Stay,” was Sweden's only plea, and Norway relented. 

“Fine you big bear,” Norway sighed and ruffled Sweden's already messy blond hair. “But you're getting the firewood later, deal?”

“No need for the wood-stove when we've got duvets,” Sweden tried to argue, burying his face in the crook of Norway's neck and placing a soft and warm kiss to Norway's collarbone. 

“It's far below freezing outside, our duvets will be full of ice if we don't heat up this place. You know that just as well as me,” Norway rolled his eyes, but made no more attempts at escaping Sweden's embrace.

“If this is about that time I got frost-bite then please don't remind me...” 

“You lost three toes and two fingers,” Norway chuckled. “Had I found you any later you'd have lost a whole lot more!”

“I know,” Sweden mumbles bitterly. “But they grew back,”

“Yes, lucky for you,” Norway smirked. “You should thank me properly one day for saving your life back then,”

“Thank you properly?” Sweden propped himself up with his arms and stared at Norway with a stone cold expression – Norway's smirk remained steadfast.  
“Are you saying I've not done enough for you?”

“Maybe,” Norway replied flatly, but Sweden caught the little hint of a spark of mischievousness in Norway's eyes.  
He knew that look too well.

“I'll bite, what do I have to do to make it up to you?”

“Let me go make us coffee,” Norway shrugged.

Sweden stared blankly at Norway for a moment before burying his face in his pillow and letting out a muffled laugh.

“I know I drive a hard bargain,” Norway hummed. “But you know me. Profit over people,”

“I want a cookie too then,” Sweden smiled lazily as he let Norway crawl out of bed.

Sweden buried his face in the pillow once Norway left the bedroom, taking in the silence that filled the room as Norway puttered about in the kitchen.  
He could hear Norway fill the coffee machine with water – opening and closing the cupboards; humming softy to himself occasionally. All little sounds that filled him with joy.

Sweden took a deep breath and smiled, there was now a faint hint of coffee seeping into the bedroom and Norway's humming was becoming a little more noticeable.

“Morning coffee, as requested,” Norway announced with a smile as he gently nudged the door open with his foot, balancing two cups and a small plate of cookies in his hands.

Sweden held his hand out and helped Norway back in bed, wrapping his hand around his mug of coffee once they were both situated nicely once more.

The silence that filled the room was warm and comforting.  
Well known and familiar; but impossible to tire of.

“It's good,” Sweden mumbled happily into his coffee cup, and Norway flashed him a brief, but happy smile.

This was good.  
This morning, the two of them, the coffee and the cookies.  
Everything contained right in this moment was good.  
Sweden wanted to keep this feeling here forever; but forever is a very long time, even for nations.  
So he didn't dare utter those words out loud.

But Norway probably knew what he was thinking anyway, because with his free hand he intertwined his fingers with Sweden's.

They didn't need any more words than that. The warmth from their bodies and the coffee was enough.   
And the little gestures spoke of more significance than any words could utter out loud.

This is what they'd build. On unstable and rocky foundations at times; but it held fast now.  
It was stable and solid now; enough to let tension and fear evaporate like dew on a warm summer's day.

To sit in silence and enjoy the sunshine slowly light up the room – this was worth it all.

Sweden smiled and gave Norway's hand a little squeeze.  
This is what he wanted to protect then and now.

This was his little paradise of love.


End file.
